This invention relates to foot covers of the type worn by women and girls under low-cut shoes when not wearing socks, panty hose or individual full length stockings. The foot cover generally lies below the upper perimeter of the shoe and is therefore hidden from view. Such foot covers are made from highly stretchable yarn and are thus sold in a single size, the amount of stretch being sufficient to accommodate all sizes.
Several prior art designs are known. These include styles with are cut and sewn from knitted fabric with sewn-in upper rims. These older styles have the disadvantage of being expensive to manufacture, since they require a significant amount of skilled labor. In addition, the sewn-in rim can burrow into the skin of the foot when worn under a shoe. Other styles include a knitted tubular structure which is symmetrical, and has an integrally-knitted top rim and a symmetrical foot-hugging body portion. The body portion is closed by a long seam along the bottom opposite the rim. See, U.S. Pat. No. RE 26,667 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,600,909.
Known prior art tubular-knitted foot covers thus include a relatively long bottom seam which lies directly beneath the bottom of the foot and may be uncomfortable when the wearer is standing.
The invention according to this application provides a simple knitted structure which can be knitted on conventional knitting machines and converted to a foot cover with minimal labor, and which has a bottom which is completely devoid of any seams.